Surprises
by Spinkichi
Summary: If there was something Barrett and Dorothy both liked, it was fishing. Well, the only thing Barrett could think of that he liked off the top of his head anyway.  Barrett x Dorothy


If there was something Barrett and Dorothy both liked, it was fishing. Well, the only thing Barrett could think of that he liked off the top of his head anyway. He didn't like telling people anything about himself beyond that point. It wasn't any of their business, so he felt no need to tell them.

Dorothy could tell you other things about herself. She liked fishing. She liked Cymbidium Orchids. Of course, she loved her family and her friends. (While Barrett was friends with Ray, he wouldn't openly admit it, and he didn't get along with his father, Byron.) When questioned about the person she might have feelings for, she clammed up and refused to say anything more, so generally that question was avoided. Dorothy's most prized possession, though, was her doll Fern. She really couldn't remember a time without the little stuffed dog that she carried around with her everyday. Wherever Dorothy was, you could count on Fern to be nestled in her arms like a book. But Fern was more valuable than any book.

This, Barrett couldn't understand. Sure, he might have a few valuable objects or two, like a fishing pole or a good hammer. (Barrett wasn't an expert at forging or sword making, but he respected the trade and knew enough to fix up his fishing equipment every now and again.) But to treat the doll like a trophy or a precious metal; he couldn't wrap his head around the idea.

While he did find it quite strange that she talked _through _the dollwhen she was nervous or upset, he didn't question it for fear of upsetting her even more. Dorothy was one of the rare persons that Barrett got along with. Whether it was because of their love of fishing or slightly similar personalities, he didn't care. Barrett considered Dorothy as someone a little more than a friend, but not in a romantic way.

Once, Barrett had spotted Dorothy sitting down at the dock fishing. She was siting to the left of where the boat - on which Kyle had often sailed off to Blessia Island for what-ever-reason to do who-knows-what - was usually anchored. Barrett, slightly peeved, for he had wanted that spot for his fishing today, decided to squash down his annoyance for the sake of a good day not ruined by stupid problems and sit next to her. Or as close as he could manage without breaching her comfort zone (Which was still a good amount of feet away he was sure). This didn't bother him in the least, for he liked to fish with the only company being his own mind as well. He didn't like noise when he was fishing, it made him lose focus.

"Good M-morning...Barrett..." Dorothy said.

She didn't look over in his direction but it didn't really matter to him. He was actually only a little surprised at the fact that she had started up a conversation. While she had gotten less shy, she was still pretty withdrawn and only really expressed her feelings with Rosalind and Julia. This made him smile. It was small, but it was still a smile.

"Morning."

The rest of their day consisted of light conversation, which included achievements such as getting Dorothy to giggle three times (which surprised him again), and Barrett to laugh twice exactly (which surprised him even more). When it began to get dark, the two hadn't even realized it was late until they saw a small figure coming towards them from the ocean. It was Kyle returning from his usual expedition. He didn't notice the two sitting down on the dock until he had jumped off and stretched, yawned loudly, and opened his eyes. When he did see them however, he couldn't hold back a smile in Barret's direction.

When Barrett noticed Kyles half-smile half-smirk he gave him a look that seemed to say "I know what you're thinking, and I'll kill you if you voice it."

Kyle just laughed, said a quick greeting to Dorothy, shot Barrett another knowing look and left. He was playing, but Barrett seemed to be quite serious and he was tired enough from his journey.

Barrett watched Kyle's back as he left, and even heard a little commotion from Alicia, who was heading in for the day and was now, probably flirting with Kyle like she always did. Ray's sister always did puzzle Barrett.

When Barrett turned back to look at Dorothy, he was more than a little bit surprised to see her face (or what he could see of her face since her bangs always covered her eyes; really, he couldn't remember what her face looked like) bright scarlet.

This surprised and annoyed Barrett to no end. Not because he had been accused by Kyle (of all people) that he was spending his entire day with Dorothy, but because he thought he had managed to draw her out of her shell a little bit, and then Kyle had gone and pushed her straight back in. Barrett made a silent promise to himself that Kyle would get it later.

Not wanting to upset the poor girl further, Barrett got up, stretched, and with a quick good-bye to Dorothy, he turned around to leave. As if he hadn't had enough surprises that day, he was quite shocked (yet again) to here Dorothy call after him.

"Barrett wait!"

Barrett tried not to whip his head around in surprise like he wanted to for two reasons. The first was because that could cause at least a little damage to his neck, the second being that he had a certain status quo in terms of his personality that he couldn't afford to ruin after years of apathetic faces and small nods. So, he slowly turned his head _slowly_ to face Dorothy.

When she didn't respond and continued to stare at him through her bangs, instead of just turning and leaving like he would have regularly done, he responded.

"Yes?"

Dorothy seemed more flustered than before (if possible), which just seemed to show Barrett that she really had no reason to stop him from leaving. Dorothy fidgeted with her things, and then mumbled a quick good-night as she ran down the path.

Barrett was now just confused and slightly annoyed. Not at her, but more at the fact that he had no idea what had just happened, and it was bothering him. But he let it slide. No use in wondering about pointless things. When he turned to go _again _he noticed something on the floor. It was Fern. He really shouldn't have been surprised after all that had happened today, but it wasn't everyday that someone dropped their most prized possession that they were never seen without. Especially someone like Dorothy who was always careful with her things.

He sighed, knowing that she had probably already reached her house, and that he would have to return Fern to her in the morning. Great. While he could just go now, it was already getting late and he wanted to stop by the bath house before it closed.

"And it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go into Dorothy's room so late at night either." Barrett thought. Then he stopped. Where had that thought come from? That probably wasn't good.

Barrett was a person who didn't like pondering over meaningless things. Unfortunately for him, he got the feeling that he would have a lot on his mind that night.

Barrett carefully placed Fern in his arms and left the dock.


End file.
